Agriculture Collective urges the House of Representatives to take action

The Agricultural Collective calls on all parties in the House of Representatives to take action in nitrogen policy. The association of agricultural advocates wants parliament to embrace the collective's nitrogen plans. "Prevent unnecessary throwing of public money."

Next Thursday morning, 20 February, the House of Representatives will debate with agricultural minister Carola Schouten about the measures that agriculture can take to curb the nitrogen problem. Coincidentally, this coincided with the presentation of the Mesdag Dairy Fund, which had the RIVM's nitrogen data calculated itself.

A request by the PVV to postpone the agricultural debate, pending the Mesdag figures, has been rejected by many political parties (VVD, CDA, D66, GroenLinks, SP, PvdA, ChristenUnie, PvdD and Van Haga). Only the SGP voted in favour, the Forum for Democracy did not vote. The Agricultural Collective urges government and politicians to include the results of the calculations in the debate. 

Maximum brightness
The collective has indications from the analysis of the Mesdag Fund that "drastic measures such as the purchase and relocation of companies have hardly any effect on the precipitation of nitrogen in Natura 2000 areas. The share of agriculture in the deposition in these areas also appears to be much lower than until is now called." The collective demands maximum clarity, so that the measures actually have an effect. "The purchase and relocation of companies involves measures that have a profound impact on the farmers involved and their families."

The Agricultural Collective emphasizes that the measures it has proposed will already result in a saving of 2020 moles of nitrogen per hectare per year in 15. "That is more than three times as much as what the cabinet comes up with all together and enough for many years of housing construction." The organization is also appealing to the House by not imposing any compelling measures on farmers, as is now threatening to happen in the Emergency Nitrogen Approach Act.

Forcefully adjust ration
As a result, livestock farmers are in danger of being obliged to adjust their rations, so that less nitrogen ends up in the manure. "The Hague may never prescribe in detail what should be fed to a cow, pig or chicken and when. That will only lead to problems, not least for the health of the animals," the collective declares. "No one knows better than the farmer what his or her animals need and how a reduction of nitrogen emissions can be achieved responsibly at the same time."

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